Water flow devices such as ornamental water fountains generally include means for providing water from a source, filling an area such as a basin and draining the water away. In some conventional water fountains, one or more jets are utilized to force water into the air, under pressure, to a desired distance. In other conventional water fountains a nozzle causes the water to reach a certain distance.
Ornamental water fountains may utilize a plurality of nozzles to provide separate streams of water. For instance, the plurality of nozzles may be configured to provide streams of water that travel to the same point. In other arrangements, plurality of nozzles may be configured to provide streams of water that travel to different points and are tailored to be aesthetically pleasing to a viewer. It is often desirable to adjust the nozzle to control the distance of each stream. Over time, streams configured to travel to the same point may need adjusting to continue traveling to the same point. Furthermore, it may be desirable to change the characteristics of streams, such as the volume and velocity of a stream and the distance that one or more streams travels.
In conventional nozzles, a fountain owner or technician adjusts the characteristics of a stream by disassembling the nozzle, adjusting the internal components, and reassembling the nozzle or adjusting upstream valving that controls the water flow to the nozzle. After testing the distance of the water flowing from the adjusted nozzle, the fountain owner or technician may be required to disassemble the nozzle, adjust the internal components a second time, and reassemble the nozzle. These steps may need to be repeated until desired water stream characteristics are achieved.
Disassembling, adjusting the nozzle components, and reassembling the nozzle take a relatively long amount of time. If the nozzle must be reassembled, tested, and adjusted again, the amount of time is even longer. Accordingly, a need exists for a fountain nozzle in which the characteristics, such as volume, velocity, and distance, of the water stream may be adjusted without disassembling the nozzle.
In some conventional water fountain systems, a secondary valve, separate from the nozzle, may control water flow characteristics. These systems may require water fountain owners to purchase a nozzle and a secondary valve to provide the user with control over water flow characteristics. Therefore, a need exists for a water fountain system that does not require the user or water fountain owner to purchase and install a secondary valve in order to allow the user to control the water flow characteristics.